Coal-grate.



J. w. TATUMV COAL GRATE.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 24, 19 17.

Patented Apr. 2, 1918.

2 SHEETS-SHEET l.

1. w. TATUM. COAL GRATE/ APPLICATION FILED MAY 24, i917.

Patented Apr. 2,1918.

2 SHEETSSHEET 2.

an and COAL-GRATE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 2, 1918.

Application filed May 24, 1917. Serial No. 170,686.

To all whom it may concern: 7

Be it known that I, JAMES W. TATUM, a citizen of the United States, residing at Durham, in the ounty of Durham and State of North Carolina, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Coal- Grates; and I do declare the following to be "a full, clear, and exact descriptionof the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which itappertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to grates and more particularly to that class of grates which are of the basket form, and which are depligned to be used inopen fire places and the It has been found that the parts of the grate most readily affected by the heat of the fire are the bottom parts and there has been a great source of trouble and inconvenience inasmuch as the bottom of the grates in use at the present time is burned out which impairs the efliciency 0f the grate, as an entirely new grate will have to be substituted; and it is the primary object, therefore, of my invention to provide a grate in which these difficulties are overcome by employing aremovable bottom for the grate.

A further object of my invention is to provide a grate of this character in which a removable bottom portion is slidable on the grate frame and which may be rocked or tilted vertically so as to provide for an effective shaking of the grate.

A still further object of the invention is to provide in a grate of this character a slidable removable bottom which may be rocked so as to dump the grate without entirely removing the bottom therefrom.

With these and other general objects in view which will appear from the description my invention resides in the novel combination, construction and arrangement of parts to be more fully hereinafter described and claimed when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings-which form .a part of this application. t

Figure 1. is a front elevation showing-my improved grate as applied in a fireplace;

Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view taken on the line 22 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a horizontal sectional view on the line 33 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a vertical sectional view on the line 4: 4: of Fig. 1; and,

Fig. 5is a transverse sectional view on the line 55 of Fig; 4:.

I11 detail my improved grate comprises a horizontal base frame or section 1 composed of a pair of side bars 2 supported on legs 3 which may be attached to the ends of the bar or may be formed integrally therewith as may be found desirable. Intermediately of the ends of the bars 2 which are spaced considerably from one another and extended parallel, is secured a transverse connecting bar 4 having its ends extended beyond the side bars and provided with hook lugs 5 for a purpose to be hereinafter described. At one end the bars 2 are provided with upright vertically extending continuations 6 connected transversely at their top by bars 7 and extending downwardly in vertical parallel spaced relation from the lower bar 7 and joined thereto in any suitable manner are a series of bars 8 having their lower terminals 9 spacedabove the plane ofthe side bars 2 and extended inwardly to form fingers which assist in supporting the coals at the front of the grate. The spaced bars 8 coact with the upright members 6 and the transverse bars 7 to form an effective guard or front for the grate and it will be obvious that this structure, owing to the transverse bar 4 provides a rigid frame for the grate which is adapted to be inserted into a fireplace or the like with the vertically extending front guard toward the front of the fireplace.

In some instances when it may not be desirable to use the legs 3 for supporting the grate, I may: so construct the grate as to dispense with these legs and support the grate by means of the lugs 5 and lugs 10 whichare formed on the upright members 6, it being understood that suitable attaching means will be provided in the fireplace for supporting the grate by means of these lugs. The forward ends of the side bars 2 are ex tended slightly beyond the upright continuations 6 so as toform projecting lugs 11 for a purpose to be hereinafter described.

The removable rate bottom comprises a rectangular frame 12 having spaced front and rear transverse bars 13 connected by longitudinal grate bars 14. The ends of the bars 13 extend slightly beyond the adjacent bars 14c to provide bearing lugs which are adapted for sliding on the side bars 2, with the extended ends of the rear bar 13 resting upon the surface of the side bars 2 and adapted to slide'androck thereon'and with the front bar 13 having its ends supported on the forwardly"extending lugs ll'of said side bars.

Owing to the spaced relation of the lower terminals of the front bars 8 above the plane-of the sidebarsQ it will be apparent that the grate bottom may he slid forwardly and rearvvardly upon the grate frame below the-lower terminals of the front bars 8 without coming into contact therewith. The front bar 13 of the grate bottom is provided with a suitable handle member 15 which may be suitablyengaged for-[the manipulation of the grate bottomby hand or with thepoker or other suitabletool as desired. The bars 14 of thegrate bottom are so disposed relative to the front'bars 8 as to receive the-bars 8 therebetween so that when it is desired-to shake the "grate it is merely necessary to engage the handle member 15 and lift the bottom in a vertical plane with th'e'rear bar of the bottom restingat its ends on the sidebars 2 Wherebythe bottom may be rocked -in-a vertical plane to effectually shake and dislodge any clinkers thereon.

When itis desired to dump the grate it is -merely necessary to engagethe handle and slide the bottom forwardly whereupon the front barwill become disengaged from the lugs ll'and when the bottom-has been slid forwardly to the desired point the front thereof may be lowered with the ends of the rear barpivotally on the side bars 2 whereupon theashes'and' other matter on the grate will beeffec'tually dumped. When merely shaking the. grate, the latter is disengaged from "the I lugs 11 and either moved forwardly andrearwardly or rocked 'upon' the bar 4; andthe projecting ends of the rear bar 13.

It may be found expedient to slide'the "bottom forwardly'and then tilt the same in a vertical plane upwardly so as to dump to the rear of the grate. Either of the two methodsmay be employed to suit-theindividual" conditions.

By the foregoing construction as described it will be seen that I have provided a'gratewhich is easy and cheap to manufacture, simple to manipulate and most of ficient inoperation and one in which the bottommay be replaced if desired from time to time without in any way changing the structural details of the base of the grate, and whilel have described and shown cer tain specific details of form entering into the construction of the device, I do not desire joined at its ends thereto near their'eenters,

a grate bottom resting slidably on saidthird barbetween said PHIT'OLl bars and having front and rear oro ectin 'lu 's-restin slid 7 b b b ably on said pair of bars; together with a front guard for retaining-the coals 'on'the grate, said-guard being constructed to permit vertical movement of said grate-bottom.

2. In a fire place grate, a pair of parallelhorizontal grate supporting barsadapted to extend from front to rear "of thefire; place and means -for supporting saidbars adistance from said fire placebottom, apair of vertical end barsrising from said grate supporting bars near the frontends of thelatter, a horizontal bar extending between the upper ends of said end bars,and vertical bars depending from saidlast named horizontal bar and forming therewith a coal re-' tainingguard, the lower ends of said vertical bars being spaced above the'plane -of said grate supporting bars and being free of connection; together with grate bottom having rear projecting lugs slidable and'rocln able on said grate supporting bars and having front projecting lugs resting removably on the front ends of said supporting bars in front of saidvertical end bars,- sai d grate bottom being slidable between said end bars.

In testimonywhereof I have hereunto set my hand in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

JAMES W L IAM "TATUM.

Witnesses S. E. OBnnm, B. G. Pnoo'ron.

toms of thia'xmtent'ymar he obtained for five cents each, by addressing the0 onj1missioner of-Iiatents,

Washington, D. G. 

